Shaughnessy must have had a tough time with Econ 101 in school. Trampling all over basic econ theory, Shaughnessy criticizes the fans who will make their way to the Patriots preseason game and calls the game a fraud since the regulars won't be playing.
Where is the fraud, you idiot? Every single fan at the stadium tonight knows full well what to expect and what not to expect. It's no secret; there is no fraud. NFL teams don't play their starters for very long in preseason ganes. These fans, acting on their free will, decide to wait in traffic and attend the game nonetheless. No one is forcing them to go. De gustibus no est disputandum.
On the flip side, the Patriots would not charge full price unless the market would bear it. And obviously, the market will bear it as Shaughnessy himself points out (There are plenty of people on the waiting list, right Dan?) It's not fraud. As Guido Sarducci says, it's all about supply and demand.
Shaughnessy not only flunks econ, he takes a few swipes at the fans in the process, calling them suckers. (I wonder if these are the same suckers who think you are a good sportswriter?)
Of course, Shank can't stand Belichick--almost as much as he hates the old Blowhard Schilling, but for the exact opposite reason. According to the gospel of Shank, Schilling doesn't shut up; Belichick doesn't say anything. He dogs Belichick for not providing any insight on whether the preseason is too long or too short. I am not a big fan of the old Coach classic "It is what it is", but I agree with Belichick on this one. It is what it is - the NFL establishes a framework of rules and schedules and Belichick works brilliantly within the structure that is established. What does he really care if the preseason is two games, four games or six games? He deals with it and doesnt waste time debating things of which he has little control. But bitter little Shaughnessy can't seem to let it go - guess he will have plenty to stew about as he waits in traffic for tonight's game.
(I deleted my post from this morning--it was meant as a placeholder...I have recently switched jobs and the new schedule is overbearing. I regret that the timing and depth of my posts have not been the greatest...dm)
What a facking whiner this guy is! Aaaaagh! Bad enough that he hates most of the teams he covers, but does any columnist in the country, maybe in the history of sports columnists, hate his readership more than CHB? These columns are so joyless! They literally suck the energy out of the sports section. You see that face, and you know it's gonna be either bland (which we now welcome) or really, really angry and weird and accusatory. CHB is the bizarro sports columnist: You exactly the opposite in his columns of what you expect!
ReplyDeleteAnd Shank hasn't offered any kind of alternative to four preseason games - he's like the Democrats, all he can do is oppose oppose oppose and offer no credible alternative.
ReplyDeleteNot to defend Shaughessy's whine, but I think you're taking his use of the word "fraud" in too narrow a sense here. I don't think he is alleging that preseason games are billed as equivalent to regular season games.
ReplyDeleteIf there's an economic allegation made in his column, it's bundling-- the fact that you can't buy a season ticket to only the "real games" but are forced to buy the whole package.
Here's another issue - what is so wrong with watching preseason games? In this case it's against a good team we won't see again in the regular season until 2009.
ReplyDeleteHey boneheads, if you buy season tickets you are required to buy the exhibition games. The exhibition games are lousy football games, but they have no problem forcing people who want to watch the real games to buy those tickets too.
ReplyDeleteGood for Dan. Now go back to sniffing Call-me-Mr. Kraft's boxers.
Hey Bruce, the exhibition games aren't lousy games - the game in Tampa was pretty good and the Titans game looked more like a regular season game than a preseason one; the carolina game wasn't competitive but for Patriots fans it offered a good size-up of their team and also showed that the Panthers need to shore up their intensity in a big way. And you think these people go to the games because they're forced to? You are a total fool, Bruce. Go back to sniffing glue.
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